Pastor John Endriss will serve as interim executive director-treasurer of the Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention, he announced in a video Wednesday (March 8).
Endriss leads Engage Church in Hilo and is president of HPBC’s executive board.
The board decided to suspend its search for an interim executive director and have Endriss serve in the capacity as the convention continues the search for its future leader, he said.
“This will allow us to move forward and turn our attention to the work we have in finding our long-term executive director-treasurer and also the other items on the agenda for the board,” he noted.
The position has been vacant since former Executive Director-Treasurer Chris Martin left Feb. 17 for a role with the International Mission Board. Endriss said he has been serving “in a limited function” in the role over the last two weeks, per HPBC’s bylaws.
‘Unity and focus’
The search committee will hold a series of town hall meetings this month to hear from church leaders across the convention.
HPBC includes 121 congregations in Hawaii, plus churches in American Samoa, Samoa, Guam, Saipan, Okinawa, Mainland Japan, South Korea, Thailand and the Philippines.
“My hope is that in the limited duration as your interim executive director and in the limited hours that I have available for this task, that I may be able to help our staff and our convention continue in the work that God has for us,” Endriss said.
“As interim, it’s not my job to start broad new programs, but to help us sustain our unity and focus on our mission.”
